Quakes' Second-Half Comeback Effort Falls Short
MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Quakes' Second-Half Comeback Effort Falls Short

Published on August 15, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


San Jose Earthquakes battle St. Louis CITY SC
San Jose Earthquakes battle St. Louis CITY SC
(San Jose Earthquakes)

SAN JOSE, CA - The San Jose Earthquakes fell to St. Louis CITY SC 3-1 on Saturday night at PayPal Park in Major League Soccer regular-season play.

The visitors opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Conrad Wallem took the ball in the box, cut back and delivered a pass for a sliding Daniel Edelman, who finished the play for a 1-0 St. Louis lead. In minute 27, Eduard Löwen's corner kick was headed home by Simon Becher to give CITY SC a 2-0 advantage.

After intermission, the Quakes answered in minute 47 when Beau Leroux eyed a floating clearance from just outside the box and blasted a volley past St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki to make it 2-1. However, the visitors got an insurance goal in the 55th minute when Tomas Totland tracked down a long ball in the box and lifted a cross for a streaking Becher, whose scissor kick found the back of the net to make it 3-1.

The full "Quakes Replay" of tonight's match will air Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 8 p.m. PT on KTVU Plus. For highlights, analysis and features, fans can also watch the new half-hour magazine show "Quakes Exclusive" on Friday, Aug. 21, at 7:30 p.m. PT on KTVU FOX 2 and the FOX Local app, as well as an encore presentation on KTVU Plus at 8 p.m. PT.

The Black and Blue will continue MLS regular-season play on the road against the LA Galaxy in the 106th California Clasico across all competitions on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Kickoff from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT with the match to be broadcast on Apple TV (English/Spanish), FS1 (English) and FOX Deportes (Spanish), as well as via local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

ON THE TABLE: San Jose moves to 10-6-3 (38 GF, 27 GA) in MLS play and 33 points for fourth in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, St. Louis goes to 8-6-5 with 29 points (27 GF, 25 GA) and fifth in the West.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Earthquakes are now 1-7-0 (8 GF, 19 GA) and 0-4-0 at home (4 GF, 10 GA) in the regular-season series against St. Louis CITY SC. The two teams split the season series in 2026 after the Quakes defeated St. Louis 3-2 at Energizer Park in April.

AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER: Saturday's contest featured a battle of the youngest and oldest current head coaches in MLS: San Jose's Bruce Arena (74) and St. Louis' Yoann Damet (36).

BUY DOMESTIC: The Quakes started seven American players tonight. No team in MLS has averaged more of them in the starting 11 more across all competitions in 2026 than Bruce Arena's Earthquakes (7.5/game). Arena also started six former college players tonight; no team in MLS has more of them on the roster (19).

ANOTHER BEAU BANGER: Beau Leroux scored his third goal of the season and eighth of his MLS career. All three of his goals in 2026 have come from outside the box.

WELCOME BACK, NIKO: Midfielder Niko Tsakiris returned to the lineup for the first time since May 2. As a display of how dominant Tsakiris has been on the field, despite not playing in over three months (a span of seven league games), he still ranks in the top 10 among all MLS players this season in assists (7), crosses (23), corner kicks (54) and chances created per 90 minutes (3.5).

LUKA'S DEBUT: Australian Under-23 international forward Luka Jovanović made his MLS and Earthquakes debut tonight. The 21-year-old signed with San Jose as a U-22 Initiative Player after sharing the Golden Boot in the Australian A-League last season. Jovanović came on right after halftime and played the remainder of the match.

HEWITT TO HALL OF FAME: Former NASL-era Earthquakes goalkeeper Mike Hewitt will be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame at halftime. In 1976, he and the defense were nicknamed the "No Goal Patrol," leading San Jose to the Southern Division title while allowing a league-low 30 goals. The Quakes reached the Conference Championship game for the first time in club history that season. In a San Jose Mercury News poll after the NASL ended, Hewitt was voted "Mr. Earthquake" by the fans, cementing his place in club history. He played 150 games for the Earthquakes and posted 34 career shutouts, with an additional 17 appearances for the club's Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team in 1982-83.

AUTISM AWARENESS NIGHT: Tonight marked the second annual Autism Acceptance Night at PayPal Park. The first 150 fans to purchase discounted Autism Acceptance Night special event tickets received a limited-edition tote bag, with a portion of proceeds benefiting local Autism organizations. Sensory kits were available upon request, with fans having access to the new state-of-the-art Sensory Room throughout the match.

TIES TO THE LOU: A trio of Quakes boast roots in St. Louis. Newly minted MLS All-Star defender Daniel Munie grew up in the St. Louis area in Maryland Heights and played for the St. Louis Scott Gallagher club as a youth. Defender Max Floriani played collegiately at Saint Louis University and earned All-Conference honors. Assistant Coach Steve Ralston grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Oakville before a storied playing career in MLS and his subsequent induction into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame.

San Jose Earthquakes 1 - 3 St. Louis CITY SC

Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026 - PayPal Park; San Jose, California

Weather: 67°F Sunny

Attendance: 15,344

*all stats unofficial

Match Officials:

Referee: Jon Freemon

AR1: Jeremy Kieso

AR2: John Krill

4th Official: Elijio Arreguin

VAR: Michael Radchuk

AVAR: TJ Zablocki

Scoring Summary:

STL (0-1) - Daniel Edelman (Conrad Wallem, Sang Bin Jeong) 8'

STL (0-2) - Simon Becher (Eduard Löwen) 27'

SJ (1-2) - Beau Leroux (unassisted) 47'

STL (1-3) - Simon Becher (Tomas Totland) 55'

Misconduct Summary:

STL - Conrad Wallem (caution) 78'

SJ - Reid Roberts (caution) 82'

STL - Tomas Totland (caution) 84'

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Angus Gunn (GK); Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benji Kikanović (Jack Jasinski HT); Ronaldo Vieira (C) (Ian Harkes 71'), Beau Leroux, Niko Tsakiris (Luka Jovanović HT); Timo Werner, Ousseni Bouda (Jack Skahan 71'), Preston Judd.

Substitutes not used: Francesco Montali (GK), Vítor Costa, Nick Fernandez, Paul Marie, Dave Romney.

POSS.: 54.5%; SHOTS: 7; SOG: 2; CORNERS: 4; OFFSIDES: 1; SAVES: 4; FOULS: 16; xG: 0.5

ST. LOUIS CITY SC: Roman Bürki (C); Lukas MacNaughton, Dante Polvara, Timo Baumgarti; Tomas Totland, Chris Durkin, Daniel Edelman, Conrad Wallem (Jaziel Orozco 89'); Eduard Löwen (Carlo Holse 69'), Simon Becher (Palmer Ault 89'), Sang Bin Jeong (Alexandru Matan 69').

Substitutes not used: Ben Lundt (GK), Fallou Fall, Mykhi Joyner, Tomas Ostrak, Rafael Santos.

POSS.: 45.5%; SHOTS: 13; SOG: 7; CORNERS: 5; OFFSIDES: 4; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 17; xG: 3.1

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On facing St. Louis CITY SC tonight:

"I thought their back line dominated us. They were physically dominant tonight. Our midfield was dominated. They looked like a more athletic and physically stronger team than us."

On the return of Niko Tsakiris after being out since May due to injury:

"It's going to take some time. We have to give him some minutes. It was planned. We were going to give him 45 minutes, and we did. We just have to move him along."

On the team's performance following the regular-season break due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

"Collectively, we have been very poor in the defensive end of the field."

"We're not panicking. If we won tonight, we'd be in first place in our conference. It is what it is. That's MLS."

EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER BEAU LEROUX

On his 47th-minute goal from outside the box:

"I thought my performance was alright. I think it was definitely much better in the second half. The ball found its way to the top of the box, and I just like the way my technique is in those areas."

On the team's focus heading into the California Clasico:

"Yeah, I mean, it's a Cali Clasico. It's the biggest rivalry in MLS. We need to show up, and we need to want to win. I don't think a lot of us, myself included, had that fight tonight. So I think bringing that on Wednesday will help."

On the team's mindset since the World Cup break and the focus on finding solutions together:

"It's definitely been up and down, the mood, I'd say. I think we just need to get to a better level of understanding as a team, figure out what we're doing wrong, really break down the film and get to the bottom of it."

On Niko Tsakiris' return to the team and the impact his presence has on the group:

"It's definitely great for the team to have Niko back. He calms things down, has a great understanding of the game and just makes it easier for us to play together."

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San Jose Earthquakes battle St. Louis CITY SC
San Jose Earthquakes battle St. Louis CITY SC
   



Major League Soccer Stories from August 15, 2026


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